Sanguine Moon
by The Little Ninja
Summary: Rembrandt Selene Avery has never believed in urban legends surrounding the town of Woodbury, Pennsylvania's Harvest Moon Festival. But in the midst of heartbreak, she's soon going to become a believer... *A Lordi Fanfiction*


**Author's Note-** **WARNING WILL ROBINSON! WARNING! **This story will contain violence, language (pervasive and the usual F-bomb and whatnot.), along with some suggestive/sexual content that's not meant for younger readers. If you're easily offended by any of that, you need to turn back right now. This is going to be the one and only warning that I will post here, and I shall hear no whining about how graphic it might get or about how I scarred you for life. Just throwing that out there.

I do not own any Lordi characters that may appear in this story. They belong to their respectable owners and I am making no money from writing this story. All original characters belong to me. Please do not use them in any writings or artwork without first contacting me for permission.

* * *

The smell of dead leaves in the wind was strong as a solitary figure walked through along the dirt path cutting through the woods, the crunch of the said leaves mingling with the sounds of birds that had not yet flown south for the winter. Not that the figure minded. It gave her a chance to clear her head and enjoy her solitude. Water from the small stream gave the woods a certain tranquil mood, further helping to relax the young girl. Her long brown hair floated behind her as she walked, the morning rays of the sun giving it a healthy shine. Dark eyes went this way and that, taking in the sights of the colorful leaves of autumn.

After a long hot summer, it was finally the first week of October. For most people, this marked the beginning of the harvest season. Endless rows of crops would be brought in and either stored for winter or sold at the local farmer's market. But for the younger generation, it meant that come Friday, the annual Harvest Moon Festival would begin. Every year, there were carnival attractions, local rock bands playing until the sun came up, and endless parties for that weekend. At the thought of the festival, butterflies filled her belly. She could hardly wait for Friday to come. _This will be the best one yet, _she promised herself.

A special someone in her life had something to do with that.

'Rembrandt!" A breathless voice called from behind her. 'Remy! Wait up!" She smiled at the sound of the voice. That was her name: Rembrandt Selene Avery, known to her friends as Remy. Her mother had been fond of the painter by the same name, and had always wanted to name her first daughter after him, her father had told her once. In all honesty, Remy sometimes wondered what was so great being named after an artist the liked to paint dead _cattle._

'Alright, Sam," Remy called back to the owner of the friendly voice, stopping and turning around. Her best friend, Samantha Bradshaw came to rest beside of her, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Choppy black bangs hung in her face for a moment before a hand as pale as Remy's own skin brushed them out of a full face. Green eyes danced from behind black rimmed glasses, a smile on the snakebite pierced lips of her friend.

'Anyone ever tell you that you're hard to catch? I thought you were going to wait for me this morning!" Sam exclaimed. Remy rolled her eyes with a smile.

'Well maybe if you would have woken up when I called you, we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we?" Remy replied. Sam scowled and rubbed her still tired eyes.

'Alright smartass. Why are you such a morning person, anyways?" She grumbled, straightening out her Full Metal Alchemist t-shirt that she wore under a black jacket and readjusted her messenger bag.

'Well for one I don't stay up until two in the morning talking to older guys on Facebook." she laughed at Sam's expression. 'If you want to meet a guy, Sam, you're going to have to get away from the internet. You never know what kind of creeps are out there-"

'Remy, for one, you are not your dad so stop talking like him. Two, creeps are everywhere you look. And three, what do you know about meeting guys? You're too busy checking out their asses from behind!" Peals of laughter came from both girls as they continued walking.

'I think you just described yourself on that last one, Sam," Remy commented as soon as she was able to stop laughing. Sam shook her head and laughed.

'Oh no I didn't. Don't think I haven't seen you checking out Emery from behind. It ain't no secret that you two have a thing going." Remy scoffed.

'I wish," she said with a blush. Emery Mullins was the reason she was looking forward to this year's Harvest Moon Festival. He was an eighteen year old skater that worked in the local grocery market with his mom. He was also a senior, just like Remy and Sam. From the moment she'd met him in her freshman year, Remy had been nothing short of lovestruck. What was there not to love about him; he was about six feet tall with shaggy brown hair and baby blue eyes that made Remy want to melt when he looked at her.

'Are you still planning on telling him how you feel this Friday?" Sam asked. Remy nodded in response, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

'In a way though, I kinda don't want to," Remy confessed. 'I mean, what if he doesn't feel the same?"

'Remy, don't even think about backing out on this." Sam said, stopping and grabbing Remy by the arms. 'I swear to God I will go full blown spider monkey high on crack on your ass if you do!" With each word, she shook Remy, driving in her point. Remy let out a laugh and pulled her green sweater a little tighter around her as another cool breeze passed through the trees, sending leaves falling down to the ground. 'By the way, are you and Emery gonna-"

'Get your mind out of the gutter right now, Sam!" Remy suddenly scolded, making a grab for Sam, who darted out of the way giggling all the way.

'My mind's always in the gutter! What are you talking about?" Sam called back. Remy gave her a look. 'Well it is. I mean, I'm the only one out of the two of us that has left the convent!" Remy couldn't help but inwardly groan at this. Ever since Sam lost her virginity that past summer, she'd been bragging about it to Remy almost nonstop. Now she loved Sam like a sister, having lived across the street from her all her life, but there were times when Remy wished she wouldn't feel the need to tell Remy every single detail of her sex life.

'Hey," Sam piped up after a moment of awkward silence. 'Did you hear the news about this coming festival?" Remy looked over and arched an eyebrow. 'They said that this one is going to be especially unique this year because it's the weekend of the blood moon."

'You mean a sanguine moon?"

'Yeah," Sam confirmed. 'Haven't you ever heard the legend about it?" Without waiting for a response, Sam continued. 'Even back then, there's always been talk that on the week leading up to the sanguine moon, unexplained events always occur. Long ago, a trans-dimensional being came here searching for his One True Love. He stayed in this very town for many years, looking for one who was pure of heart, body, mind, and soul. One night while he was in the woods, he came across the mayor's daughter while she was walking home from a neighbor's house. When the clouds moved away from the moon, it cast a beautiful bright light around her. He suddenly realized that she was the girl he'd been searching for all these years and started to go to her, but she was suddenly attacked by highwaymen.

'Unable to lose her after hunting her down for so long, he kills the would be murderers, and saves her. At first she was frightened of him, but after he reassured her that he meant no harm, he asked her to come away with him. Something inside of her wanted to go with him, but at the same time, she was afraid to leave her family, and refused." Sam paused for a minute, giving Remy time to absorb it.

'What happened next?" Remy asked, ignoring the chills that were going down her spine. Sam shrugged.

'Well, you'd think that would be the end of it. But instead of leaving her alone, he kept coming to her every night trying to seduce her into coming with him at first. When that didn't work, he resorted to other measures. Each night that she refused him, he'd kill an entire family as a way of making her feel guilty. So one night, she begged him to stop, and he gave an ultimatum; if she didn't come with him willingly on the night of the sanguine moon, he'd kill the entire towns inhabitants and take her by force.

'Unable to bear the thought of innocent people dying just so he could have her, the girl hatched a plan; if she left town, the trans-dimensional being would surely track her down, leaving the town's inhabitants alone. With the help of a sailor with whom she'd fallen in love with, she ran away into the woods with the idea of hopping aboard her love's ship and sailing away.

'Long story short, she never made it to the ship. She disappeared in the woods and was never seen or heard from again. The weird thing though is the entire town, even her own father, didn't have any recollections of having ever met the girl. The sailor was the only person who seemed to know she'd gone missing. Eventually, he went crazy from grief and threw himself into the ocean."

_Poor guy, _Remy thought to herself. 'Who told you that story anyways?"

'My great grandmother," Sam answered. 'To her dying day, she swore that story was true. I remember her telling me, 'Samantha, if you ever hear someone calling your name in the middle of the night, don't ever pay it any attention. It's the monster trying to lure you out so he can take you away.'. It's funny because every night there was a full moon, she'd act really, really weird. One time she woke my mom and grandma up screaming bloody murder saying 'He's here! He's here!'. We never understood why. It's like she thought that the whoever that guy was from the story was actually real and she was trying to warn us. Talk about creepy, right?" She added as they exited the woods and started past the playground towards school.

'Yeah, but you gotta remember Sam. People back then didn't have TV's or computers, so kids were getting into trouble a lot. Parents told their kids those stories to scare them into behaving. Doesn't mean that it's real, you know." Remy pointed out, ignoring the shivers still running down her spine.

'But sometimes urban legends are based off of actual events right? Say that something like that did happen-"

'You can't tell me that you actually believe in trans-dimensional beings coming from ancient lands to take away girls they think are their 'true loves'." Remy said in disbelief. Sam shook her head.

'I'm just saying Remy. No need to lecture me on common sense," she answered with a laugh. Remy joined in, the legend of the sanguine moon fading from their minds as they reached the school's entrance.

* * *

Monday, like always, seemed to be in no hurry to end as Remy forced herself down the hall to her third period class. Chemistry, her least favorite subject. She suddenly found herself wishing that she'd found an excuse to stay home this morning. All thoughts of that, however, fled from her mind as Remy spied a very familiar figure standing by her locker. A very, attractive figure at that.

'Hey Remy," Emery said when she was close enough. 'How's it going?" Remy felt her knees go weak as she stared into those baby blue eyes of his. A weak smile came to her face and her cheeks felt like they had just been set on fire.

'Hi Emery. I'm- I'm good, how about you?" She asked nervously. Emery smiled down at her, his hair falling into his eyes. He was looking exceptionally good today in his red plaid shirt that opened to reveal his white tank top, faded blue jeans that were ripped at the knees, and black converse. His equally black backpack was slung over one shoulder. _I'd gladly take him over any model any day,_ Remy couldn't help but think.

'I'm great, thanks for asking." Emery answered with a laugh. 'Are you looking forward to the festival?"

'Who isn't?" Remy replied with a laugh of her own. 'I've been looking forward to it for all year." Emery nodded.

'I hear you there. But you of all people should be looking forward to it most of all." When he said this, Remy suddenly had a deer in the headlights look come to her face. Had Sam said something to him? 'After what happened last spring, you deserve a night with friends, Remy. It'll help you heal, you know." Emery added. What he was referring to was a recent loss in Remy's family. Last year, her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, a battle that, despite how hard she fought, in the end was too much. By the time spring came around, her mother was gone. _Not the best way to start the year, _Remy couldn't help but think. Emery placed a hand on her shoulder, a sympathetic look on her face.

'I'm sorry, Remy. I shouldn't have brought it up. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you." At the sound of his voice, Remy looked up at him, blinking away the tears that had threatened to fall at the thought of her mother.

'It's alright, Emery." she reassured. Emery shook his head, brown hair swaying slightly.

'I'm serious, Remy. If you ever need anything, don't ever hesitate to ask. I'm always here if you need me." Remy glanced away again, then looked back at him with a smile.

'Thanks Emery. I really appreciate that." Emery returned her smile, glad that she took no offense.

'On a lighter note though, I was wondering, what are you up to after school today?" Emery's question effectively took Remy off guard. _One of the hottest guys in school just asked you if you have any plans. _She was suddenly grateful that she'd decided to drag her ass all the way to class.

'Um... well, actually I don't have any plans," she answered, fighting to keep her voice from shaking so much. If Emery noticed how nervous she was, he certainly never said anything.

'Well, reason I was asking is because I'm heading over to the fairgrounds to see what kinds of rides they are having this year and was wondering if maybe you'd want to come with me." Well! You could have knocked her over with a feather. Her heart skipped more than a few beats as Remy looked down shyly and then looked back at Emery with a trusting smile.

'I'd love to," she said. Emery grinned and ran a hand through his hair.

'Then it's a date. I'll see you after the last bell outside by the fountain?" Blue met dark brown, both sparkling fiercely. Remy nodded.

'I'll see you then."

'Alright," Emery said just as the bell started ringing. 'I'll catch up with you later, Remy!"

'See you later, Emery," Remy called as she watched him walk away. 'See you later." Not wanting to be late, Remy forced herself to snap out of it and make her way through the crowds of students rushing this way and that trying to get to their classes in an attempt to avoid detention. As she walked, Remy couldn't help but notice that there was a lightness to her step. That wasn't much of a surprise, really. Every time she talked to Emery, it brightened up her day. Even if everything was falling apart around her, like it had been months earlier, he always was there to help her hold it together. Maybe it was that that made her fall so hard for him.

So engrossed in her thoughts about Emery, Remy never even registered when she passed by her class until the sound of Sam shouting her name caught her attention.

'Rembrandt Selene Avery! Where the hell are you going? Class is this way, dope!" Remy still didn't acknowledge her friend even when she was pulled into the full room and towards her seat in the back. 'Remy? Rem? Hello? Anyone in there?" Sam asked, waving her hand in front of Remy's eyes. It took her snapping her fingers to finally bring the brunette back to the real world. 'Jeez, you were really out of it. Care to share what had you in the clouds?" Remy blushed and giggled quietly.

'Sam, you're not going to believe what just happened!" Sam, who'd been preoccupied with pulling out last Friday's homework, suddenly glanced in her direction at the idea of hearing something juicy.

'What?"

'Emery wants me to go with him to the fairgrounds after school today!" Remy squealed, unable to contain her excitement. A wide grin suddenly came to Sam's face.

'No way!" Remy's head bobbed up and down. 'Rem, that's great! Are you gonna go?"

'Are you kidding? Of course I am!" Remy affirmed, reaching inside her brown backpack and rummaging around for the chemistry paper.

'What about your dad though? You know how pissed he gets when you don't come home right after school. He's been real uptight since-" Sam's voice trailed off suddenly. 'I don't mean any disrespect, by the way. But shouldn't you run it by him?" Remy glanced up at Sam just as she found her homework.

'Well that's new. Usually you're the one telling me to ditch class with you to smoke in the bathrooms and whatever else that mind of yours concocts. Now you're telling me to check in with my dad? Who are you and what have you done to Sam?!" Remy joked. Sam playfully punched Remy's shoulder.

'Easy there, my little bookworm. I'm still the same ole Sammy-boosh! I'm just looking out for you, that's all." Remy smiled and handed her paper to the boy sitting in front of her when the teacher, Mr. Hawkins, called for them to pass their homework to the front.

'That's a relief. I was about to call in the Catholic priests so we could have an exorcism." This caused Sam to laugh so hard she gave herself a paper cut.

'I can see it now; Local Teen Punk Possessed By Demons! Priest Performs Exorcism In Chemistry Class! Wouldn't that be something to tell the grand kids?"

'You have to _have _kids and get through raising them first before you think about having grandchildren, Sammy." Remy corrected, flipping open her textbook. She face palmed herself at the topic of the page. Honestly, when was Mr. Hawkins going to end the torture of learning the different kinds of acids? It wasn't like they would be handling any in the near future.

The class quieted down as the aging instructor began his lecture, writing away on his white out board as the students began taking notes. About halfway through hearing about how acids were used in the olden times, the slap of a folded piece of paper hitting her desk broke her concentration. She didn't have to ask how that got there. Discreetly, Remy seized the note and hid it under her desk, carefully opening it and reading Sam's familiar chicken scratch.

_So what's supposed to be at the fairgrounds? Isn't that code for 'I want to take you in the woods and not to go birdwatching'? _Remy rolled her eyes and, after making sure that Mr. Hawkins' attention was elsewhere, quickly wrote a reply.

_He wants to see what rides they're having this year. Speaking of, I hope they bring back the Moon Raker! That was fun! _She folded up the note and passed it back to Sam who pretended to be stretching. Remy turned her attention back to the lesson for a brief second until Sam launched the note right back onto her desk. Damn, did she have good aim or what? Once again, she made sure the coast was clear in case Mr. Hawkins decided to take a walk back there before opening it up.

_Yeah, he wants to see rides alright. More like see _you _riding _him_. _Remy almost reached over and slapped Sam upside the head. _Almost_. With an annoyed sigh, she scrawled a reply and threw it with authority at Sam's head that was currently bent to concentrate on sending a text.

_Sam, one of these days I'm going to break you out of this perverted mindset of yours. Life __doesn't__r__evolve around sex, I hope you know. _Hopefully now Sam would get the picture and stop insinuating that Emery only wanted sex. For the rest of the period, Remy found her thoughts drifting to her upcoming meeting with Emery. It seemed almost strange that he asked her to come to the fairgrounds when the festival wasn't until Friday. _Maybe he's going to ask you to come with him,_ her mind offered. That very thought sent a thrill through Remy. Before then, she'd planned on going with Sam and bumping into him there. With the current change of events, it was looking like she wouldn't have to worry about hunting him down in the large crowds on Friday.

A huge smile crossed her face as the butterflies returned to her belly. She could hardly wait for school to be over.

* * *

_Is this really happening,_ Remy asked herself a couple hours later as she and Emery walked through the streets of Woodbury, making their way towards the fairgrounds laughing all the way. Ever since they left school, Remy had felt like she'd been walking in a dream. The air around them buzzed with electricity, so strong was the chemistry between them. Or... at least, the chemistry that _she_ saw between them.

'I just noticed something," Emery said as they passed by friendly Ms. Wallenstein as she brought in her produce from the outside display for the night. 'Don't take this the wrong way, but it's kinda peaceful without Sam buzzing around." Remy giggled in response.

'Sam can be a handful sometimes, especially when her X-rated mind comes into play." Emery nodded in agreement.

'I've noticed. Isn't your sex life supposed to be personal?"

'Since when has Sam kept anything personal?" Remy added with a laugh. 'But at the end of the day, she's still a sweet girl. It's been hard on her since her mom and dad divorced last year. I guess her acting the way she does is her way of blocking out what's been going on."

'Last year was hard on everyone," Emery replied. 'It seems like every time things started to look up, something else would go wrong for someone." At his words, Remy could help but let her smile fade slightly. Emery noticed this, however, and quickly changed the subject. 'So what kinds of rides do you think they'll have this year?" Remy had to think for a minute.

'Well for one, I'm crossing my fingers for the Moon Raker and Gravitron, but I want 1000 Nights back too. You know, the ride when about 15 people sit in a huge car and it spins you around in the air?" Emery eyes lit up as he grinned.

'That was my favorite! I remember when you, Sam and I rode it and the guy in front of us started screaming like a girl." Remy laughed out loud.

'You mean the guy with the super bad toupee hair? I'm pretty sure he was from out of town."

'More than likely he was," Emery agreed, running a hand through his hair. _God I love it when he does that,_ Remy thought as she smiled up at him. When he glanced her way, Remy looked away shyly, her cheeks burning.

'What about you?" Remy asked. 'What rides are you hoping to see this year?"

'I'd love it if they brought in the Tilt-a-Whirl and that awesome haunted house ride. What was it again? Revenge of the Mummy or something like that?" Emery questioned.

'I think so, but they change the theme of it every year, so it could be something else this time. I think there were rumors about it being a Malice In Wonderland."

'Ooh, wouldn't that be cool? I'd be careful though Remy; I heard the Queen of Hearts has a grudge against kids named after painters!" Emery said in a spooky voice, playfully grabbing hold of Remy. She cried out in protest, laughing as he tickled her sides.

'Are you sure about that though? I thought she didn't like skaters named after manicure tools!" She shot back.

'Alright, Rembrandt, you just made it personal," he said, making a grab for her as Remy darted away.

'What are you gonna do about it?" She asked in a mischievous voice, her eyes glittering just as fiercely as his baby blues. Emery shifted his backpack and grinned at her.

'For one, I'm gonna tackle your ass to the ground and tickle you till you can't breathe!" Remy giggled madly.

'You gotta catch me first, tough guy." With those words, Remy took off like a rocket, Emery right on her heels. Great peals of laughter came from both of them as they ran the rest of the way to the fairgrounds, Remy purposefully taking sharp turns to throw him off her trail. _Even after all these years, he still can't keep up with me, _Remy playfully thought as she hid behind an oak tree. Emery passed right by her, glancing in every direction.

'Rembrandt! Where are you," he called out in a sing-song voice. Remy clasped both hands over her mouth to muffle her laughter. She peeked around the tree again as soon as Remy heard his voice fade to silence. Right as she did, Remy never even noticed that he was creeping up behind her.

'Gotcha!" he yelled, scooping Remy up in his arms. She squealed in surprise, wriggling fiercely in an attempt to get away. But instead, he carried her of to the edge of the fairgrounds with ease before setting her down near a patch of wildflowers before taking a seat beside her. 'There," he began. 'Now we have a good view of what they're setting up." Remy looked from Emery to the wide open field before them. Currently, the only activity going on was the working men mowing down the tall grass.

'It doesn't look like they're setting any up just yet," Remy pointed out. 'They'll probably spend the next couple days mowing down at all that grass before setting anything up." Emery nodded in agreement.

'You're right. At least we can enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass." His voice trailed off after that. 'I never did like winter. You can't hardly get out on the count that it's so cold and the roads are iced over. Makes me wish sometimes that we could go to sleep one night, and then when we wake up again, it's springtime all over again." Remy gazed at him the entire time he spoke, listening to him intently as he continued to speak about how spring was his favorite time of the year.

'Mom loved springtime," Remy piped up. 'She always talked about how it signified new beginnings for everyone and everything. I remember when I was a kid how she used to paint flowers that only bloomed in spring, and would tell me what they meant in their own language." She paused to pick a bright yellow-orange bloom that grew along side late blooming daisies and violets. 'My favorite painting was one of a rosemary. "In the language of flowers, rosemary is a sign of remembrance," she always said. Ironically, it was the last one she ever painted for me. It wasn't until I got to looking at it a week after she passed away that I had a thought; maybe her painting it was her way of telling me to always remember the good times I spend with someone instead of the bad." Neither spoke for a long time.

'As long as you remember, Remy, nothing is ever truly gone you know," Emery mused, also plucking a flower from beside of her. _A violet, _Remy observed. Her heart suddenly fluttered. _Is he going to ask me to go to the festival with him? Or even to be his-_ 'My good friend Jasmine used to tell me that all the time. It always seems like no matter how hard things may be for me one day, she always finds a special quote to make it better."

'Oh," Remy said, wondering what the point was in him talking about this 'Jasmine' friend of his.

'I'll be honest though... I really like her a lot, Remy. I mean, she's sweet, funny, smart, and she's a skater to. I'd love to get to know her better. That's why I asked her to come to the festival with me." Remy, who'd been looking hopefully at Emery, suddenly felt her heart constrict painfully.

'W-what?" she asked, hardly daring to believe that she'd just heard those words. At hearing a change in her voice, Emery looked at her questionably.

'I asked Jasmine to come with me to the festival so-"

'You mean to tell me that you brought me here to the fairgrounds, making me hope and believe that you were going to ask me to come with you... only to tell me you're going with someone else?" Remy couldn't help but blurt out. Emery stared at her first in confusion, then in guilt.

'Remy... Remy, I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't realize you-" How fast could he backpedal, Emery wondered. At this point, Remy didn't care as she threw down the flower in her hand and angrily began to gather her backpack. 'Remy, can we talk?" He stood up when she did, reaching to touch her shoulder. But Remy would hear nothing of it.

'Don't. And no, there's nothing to talk about." Remy called out, walking away with tears in her eyes.

'Remy, please. I'm sorry, I really am. If I'd known you were waiting for me-" His words, instead of comforting her, only added to the anger and hurt that clouded Remy's mind. Absolutely livid, she stopped and turned to glare at Emery, unable to stop the tears from falling.

'If you'd **known**? Are you freaking kidding me right now?! What, do I need to put a fucking sign on my forehead or something for you to get the picture? All this time, I've been waiting to tell you that I've fallen for you, and you wait until you get me alone to tell me about some Jasmine that has you under her spell? Seriously?" Remy cried, wiping her tears away viciously with her sleeve. Emery was lost for words. 'I've never felt this way for _**anyone**_, don't you understand? Is it because I'm not a skater? Am I not smart, funny, or sweet enough for you?"

'Remy-"

'No! No, I don't want to hear it. You clearly don't give a damn, and never have given a damn. So if that's the case, then go find your Jasmine and take her to the festival. Take whoever the hell you want! I don't care anymore!" With those words, Remy stormed off, anger giving way to grief as she disappeared into the woods with a broken heart.

* * *

**Author's Note**- Just to point out, I may be a little slow on the updates because I've gotten slammed with college work and I'm preparing to take my finals. Also, I have yet another story that demands my attention (_Sins of the_ _Brother_ over on the Wrestling archive of the site), so I'm currently torn between these two. But I promise I won't leave you hanging. In all honesty, I'm surprised that there are so few fanfics revolving around Lordi. I was unsure of which category to post it under... ^^"


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